The IEG is pleased to announce that it will be hosting the 14th Annual European Elasmobranch Association Conference in Galway, 10th-13th November 2010. This international conference is a key feature on the EEA calendar and an opportunity to showcase the elasmobranch research currrently being undertaken in Ireland, Europe and further afield.

This is the first time the EEA conference has been held in Ireland and we look forward to giving you a warm welcome to Galway. For further information check out EEA 2010. More information will be added regularly.

Actually I have converted the first 27 chapter of the book. I have planned to complete the full volume 3 in the next two month.

The color plates were kindly provided by the library of the Eidgenössischen Technischen Hochschule Zürich (ETH-Bibliothek). Any use of images is forbidden without the consent of the ETH-Library Zürich.

The creatures, which look similar to Stealth bomber drone planes in these pictures, were spotted leaping 3m (10ft) in the air.

Once airborne, the rays – which can weigh up to 2.3tonnes – flapped their fins in what looked like an attempt to glide.

And, if they were feeling particularly playful, some even managed a somersault before plummeting back into the water with an impressive splash.

Photographers Roland and Julia Seitre spotted the rays, which measured about 90cm (3ft) across, off the coast of Costa Rica, Central America.

The French couple were actually hoping to see some whales but were treated to this rare acrobatic display instead.

Sea plane: The ray appears to be gliding

Wing and a prayer: A ray performs a somersault Photo: Roland Seitre/solent

‘The males flapped their wings during the few seconds of flight, before hitting the surface with a loud banging noise,’ said Mr Seitre. ‘Some think it is a way to attract female attention as we saw pairs close by. The bangs are so loud it’s like you’re close to a hunting party with guns.’

Manta rays can grow up to 7.6m (25ft) across. They live in tropical waters and feed mostly on plankton, which are filtered through their gills.

Shark Attacks: What Are the Odds?

Guest commentator Debbie Salamone is Communications Manager at the Pew Campaign to End Overfishing in the Southeast.

There’s nothing like a good shark attack story. I should know. I was a journalist for 21 years near Volusia County, Florida -- the shark bite capital of the world. I even made sure someone phoned my newspaper to report my own shark attack as I was pumped full of morphine and wheeled into the operating room.

Sharks always seem to be taking the rap as man-eating villains –- in the media, movies and books. So let’s get a little perspective. Your chances of being attacked by a shark are just one in 11.5 million, according to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File.

On average, there are about 65 shark attacks worldwide each year; a handful are fatal. You are more likely to be killed by a dog, snake or in a car collision with a deer. You’re also 30 times more likely to be killed by lightning and three times more likely to drown at the beach than die from a shark attack, according to ISAF.

Even digging a sand hole is more dangerous...

The New England Journal of Medicine reported that from 1990 to 2006, 16 people died by digging until the sand collapsed and smothered them. ISAF counted a dozen U.S. shark deaths in the same period. Clearly, you’d be safer in the water, with the sharks.

Still not convinced? Consider another ISAF statistic: In one year in the U.S., sharks injured just 13 people while nearly 200,000 were hurt in accidents involving ladders, toilets and chainsaws.

And in an older, but memorable study by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, researchers tracked vending machine deaths from 1977 to 1995. Thirty-seven people were killed when they toppled a vending machine to get a reluctant quarter or cola -- an average of about two per year, or twice the number killed by sharks in the US. Just when you thought it was safe to get a Dr. Pepper...

You get the picture.

Even when they do happen, most shark attacks are “hit and run” -- the shark takes a bite, realizes it made a mistake and moves on to something more delicious. That’s what happened to me. Devastating injuries and brutal attacks are much more unusual.

Sharks may not appear as the most cuddly creatures on Earth, but they are worth saving for the health of the entire ocean ecosystem. Learn more about the threats to sharks and the importance of preserving them at www.pewsharks.org. And if you’re still afraid to go back in the water, more comforting statistics on the risk of shark attacks are available at ISAF.